Kumbocha Gin Rickey Cocktail

Happy New Year everyone! I can't think of any better way to start this blog's new year than to post....a celebratory cocktail!

My great friend Kristi, author of the Paleo Blog South of Vanilla, asked me to do a collaboration post with her on a Kombucha cocktail. So what in the world is Kombucha? When I visited her in DC last winter, it seemed to be all the rage. In short, it is fermented tea. Its very common to make your own using proprietary yeast (much like you would to make your own beer), but you can also buy various flavors of Kombucha at specialty grocery stores (I found the one I used for this cocktail at target--GT's Organic Raw Synergy "Trilogy" Kombucha. For more information on Kombucha, head over to South of Vanilla to see Kristi's part of this post!

The Cocktail

The Gin Rickey is a classic cocktail originally created with bourbon, but became very popular when it was perfected by gin. It is simply made with gin, lime, and seltzer water. For the purposes of this cocktail, I subbed the Kombucha (which is carbonated, by the way) for the seltzer water and added simple syrup for a little sweetness. This in turn made a beautiful colored drink with great fruity flavor from the Kombucha.

A few notes:

• I used the "trilogy" flavor of the GT's Kombucha, but I think you could really use any flavored Kombucha you find. Just ask yourself if the Kombucha you've picked would go good with a squeeze of lime. If the answer is yes, use it in this cocktail!
• If you're new to making cocktails, this is a very easy one to start out with. Simply shake all ingredients besides the Kombucha in a cocktail strainer (go buy one if you don't have one) and strain into an ice-filled tall glass like the one in the picture below. The Kombucha is used as a "float", which means you pour it on last on top of the other ingredients. This is what makes the cocktail two-toned and so pretty. Feel free to stir the drink to incorporate the flavors after you've admired the pretty colors.

Kumbocha Gin Rickey

Ingredients

• 2 oz gin (we used Tanqueray)
• juice of 1/2 lime
• 1 oz simple syrup
• 2 oz Kombucha (use as needed)
• basil sprig (for garnish)

Instructions

1. Combine gin, lime juice, and simple syrup in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake and strain over ice-filled high-ball or collins glass.
2. Top with Kombucha. Garnish with a sprig of basil.

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